These are Manchester's best affordable restaurants in 2026

What is it? Elite Indian street food with a hell of a tight waiting list 

Why we love it: When you can't get a table somewhere that you’ve never heard of because the people who’ve managed to get in keep going back again and again, it’s time to up your eating-out game. This is what happened when Bundobust arrived in Manchester and it hasn’t let up. This is the best Indian street food in the city – the menu is entirely vegetarian or vegan, and the combo platters are tremendous. There’s a great range of craft ales, too.

Address: 61 Piccadilly, M1 2AG, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, from 12pm-10.30; Friday to Saturday, from 12pm-11pm; and Sunday, from 12pm-10pm

Expect to pay: £3.75-9 for individual small plates, £3.75-10.50 dor drinks and from £38.50 for food combos for over two people

What is it? One of Manchester’s best-kept secrets, Nila’s Burmese has been going strong on a quiet street in Trafford since 2015.

Why we love it: Talk to Nila for a moment and you’ll get a sense of how evangelical she is about her birth country Burma’s cuisine with its unique ingredients like banana stem and pickled tea leaves. With a rotating cast of dishes served canteen style to a packed house of repeat customers, Nila’s is a proper local caff, only open Monday to Friday lunchtime with the odd supper club – which always sell out. Lucky are the locals get to have Burmese dishes like Mohinga or pork and tamarind curry for lunch every day. It’s well worth hopping on a tram to join them. 

Address: 386 Third Avenue, Trafford Park, Stretford, M17 1JE, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday. from 12-2.30pm; closed Saturdays and Sundays

There are few things more filling, nutritious, and affordable than a big bowl of ramen and New Wave’s is consistently spectacular. You’ll find it tucked away on Tib Lane (not to be confused with Tib Street), a few minutes walk from Manchester Town Hall. In keeping with the new wave of ramen in Tokyo, from which it takes its inspiration, every element in the bowl - including the noodles - is made in-house. Despite meticulous local sourcing and obsessive attention to detail, all basic bowls come in well under £20, but you can soup them up with extras if you want to push the boat out. For us, it’s all about the spicy Lamb Tantan and yes, we’ll take the lamb rump, pickled chilli and green oil add-ons than you very much.. There are other delicious bits and pieces like karaage chicken, tuna sashimi and gyoza that you can snack on with a beer if you don’t fancy a bowl. 

Address: 16 Tib Lane, M2 4JB, Manchester 

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 12pm-9.30pm; and Sunday, from 12pm-8.30pm; closed Mondays

Expect to pay: £15-24 for ramen bowls, and £1-4 for extra toppings

What is it? An award-winning bakery and delicatessen that serves up fresh pastries and an excellent Reuben 

Why we love it: You know you’ve reached Barbakan when you catch a whiff of fried onions or spot a queue that snakes down the steps and on to the street. Fortunately, their outdoor sausage sellers (Saturdays only) are efficient and you won’t be waiting long: the bratwurst is a solid favourite and there are around ten chutneys and mustards to choose from (the sauces are self-service – go crazy!)

Address: 67-71 Manchester Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 9PW, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 8am-4.30pm; Saturday, from 8am-4pm; and closed Sunday

Expect to pay: £5.50-6.50 for breakfast sandwiches, £8-10 for Saturday BBQ, £7-9 for ciabatta sandwiches 

What is it? A cheesy, comforting sandwich shop that could cure any hangover 

Why we love it: Many Brits grew up on cheese toasties, and Northern Soul make the city’s best. Choose from extras like beef patties, bacon and house pickles, or go back to basics with the three-cheese house blend. You can even up the cheese to debauched levels by getting a queso cheese dip with your toastie. Northern Soul is popular, they now have several concessions across Greater Manchester - including a pop up at the Etihad Stadium.

Address: 20-21, Smithfield Buildings, 44 Tib Street, M4 1LA, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 10am-6pm; Saturday, from 10am-8pm; and Sunday, from 10am-5pm

Expect to pay: £7.95-13.95 for sandwiches, £13.95 for salads, £3.50-10 for fries and sides, £5-10 for boozy drinks

What is it? A New York, Soprano-themed deli with with some seriously stacked hoagies 

Why we love it: Manchester loves a good butty, and we have lots of good uns - especially in the Northern Quarter, but Bada Bing (named after the strip club in HBO series, The Sopranos) is one of the best. It started as a lockdown project in 2020 and got its bricks n mortar home - a stripped back daytime dining spot with glowing neon signs - in 2024. The offering is simple: New York deli inspired hoagies (baked in-house) jam-packed with sliced Italian meats, crisp veggies and piquant dressings. These bad boys are so huge you could share one for lunch. Look out for the ever changing seasonal specials like an enormous Xmas sandwich and a Mancunian take on a banh mi. 

Address: 125 Oldham Street, M4 1LN, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, from 12pm-5pm; and Friday to Sunday, from 12pm-8pm

Expect to pay: £11.50-14 for sandwiches

What is it? An authentic and affordable Mexican food stall in Arndale Food Market.

Why we love it: Pancho’s is a long-time food market mainstay, and is widely considered to offer some of the realest Mexican food in the city – owner Enrique Martinez is Mexican, after all. Come hungry and don’t skip the cactus leaves. This one’s also very popular with vegans. 

Address: FC1, Arndale Food Market, 49 High Street, M4 3AH, Manchester 

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 9am-6.15pm; and Sunday, from 11.30am-5pm

Expect to pay: £9-10.50 for burritos, £10-12 for other mains, £5 for tamales and £2.50-3 for sides and extras 

What is it? A family-run Indian restaurant focusing on vegetarian and vegan dishes

Why we love it: A long-time business that started in the early 1970s, Lily’s serves some of the finest Indian food in Greater Manchester, and it’s all meat-free. Despite the high quality of the dishes and the numerous awards the venue has won over the years, the family has kept prices at a very reasonable level, making the journey out to Ashton to sample their delights well worth it.

Address: 85 Oldham Road, OL6 7DF, Ashton-under-Lyne

Opening hours: Wednesday to Thursday, from 12pm-9pm; Friday to Saturday, from 12pm-10pm; Sunday, from 12pm-6pm; and closed Mondays and Tuesdays

What is it? A proud, Vietnamese, family-run pho restaurant in MCR's Chinatown

Why we love it: While the atmosphere inside is perfectly acceptable, ambience has never been the number-one concern here. Everyone’s here for a steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho with its restorative bone broth, fresh herbs and as much chilli as you like. The food is unmissable (and incredibly cheap) at this long-standing, family-run business in Chinatown. 

Address: 44 George Street, M1 4HF, Manchester

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 12pm-8.30pm; closed Mondays 

Expect to pay: £2-10 for starts, £11-12 for pho and bun hue, and 50p-£5 for drinks